MEET THE 9 NIGERIANS CONTESTING IN U.S. ELECTIONS ON TUESDAY

MEET THE 9 NIGERIANS CONTESTING IN U.S. ELECTIONS ON TUESDAY No fewer than 9 Nigerians are on the ballot in the United States general elections scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Running mostly on the platform of the Democratic Party, here are the Americans of Nigerian descent who are bidding for different offices at the federal, state and local levels in the United States. 1. Oye Owolewa At the federal level, Oye Owolewa, whose father is from Kwara and mother from Oyo, is aiming for a ‘shadow’ (non-voting) seat in the House of Representatives. Owolewa is a PhD holder in Pharmacy from Northeastern University, Boston who is seeking to represent the District of Columbia (DC) under the Democratic Party. If elected, the 30-year-old, whose agenda includes fighting income inequality in the U.S., would be the first Nigerian congressman in the country’s history. 2. Yomi Faparusi Also at the federal level, Yomi Faparusi, an Ibadan-born native of Ekiti State, is vying as an independent candidate to represent the state of Tennessee in the U.S. Senate. Faparusi’s priorities include being a positive voice for all Nigerians in the U.S. Senate and inspiring Americans of African or Nigerian descent to seek public office in the country. 3. Mr Yinka Faleti In Missouri, a Republican-controlled state, Yinka Faleti from Lagos is the Democratic Party flag bearer in the election for the office of Secretary of State. According to reports, Faleti was in the U.S. Army as an active-duty officer from 1998 to 2004. He served in Kuwait. The 44-year-old father of four holds a Bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy, West Point, and a Juris Doctorate from the Washington University School of Law. 4. Paul Akinjo Also at the state level, Paul Akinjo from Ondo State, is running for the California State Assembly under the Democratic Party to represent District 12. Akinjo once served as Vice Mayor of Lathrop, California, and in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1982 to 1989. His priorities include housing, immigration and transportation. 5. Adewunmi Kuforiji In Delaware, a small Mid-Atlantic U.S. state, Adewunmi Kuforiji is aspiring to represent District 34 in the state House of Representatives. Kuforiji, originally from Ibadan, Oyo, secured the Democratic Party’s ticket on Sept. 15 after defeating his challenger, Robert Haynes, at the primary. 6. Esther Agbaje Also at the state level, Ms Esther Agbaje is seeking to represent District 59B in the Minnesota House of Representatives on the platform of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFLP), an affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. The 35-year-old daughter of Nigerian immigrant parents defeated long time state Representative Raymond Dehn in the party’s primary in August. As a millennial, she seeks to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to the government. 7. April Ademiluyi On the ballot at the local government level, Ademiluyi, aged 39 is running on the Democratic Party’s ticket for Judge of the Seventh Circuit Court in Prince George’s County, Maryland. 8. Ngozi Akubuike Akubuike, a legal practitioner, is an independent candidate for judge of the Minnesota 2nd District Court Position 8 at the local government level. Akubuike studied law in Nigeria, then worked in the banking sector before moving to the U.S. where she graduated from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law. 9. Benjamin Osemenam On the ballot at the local government level, Osemenam, who moved to the U.S. in 1982, is contesting for a seat in the Brooklyn Park City Council of Minnesota to represent the East District. An engineer with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, he is vying on the platform of the National Party. CTA: What’s your message for Nigerians voting in the U.S elections?